Grandfather and grandmother Ladsariya presided and three generations gathered in the living room to welcome Lakshmi and thank her for all the good things she has blessed us all with. Yesterday, Wednesday, was the main Diwali, and the “badi puja” was held with greater solemnity and joy.

In Marwari households like this one – and in many North Indian households in general – Diwali means the worship of Devi Lakshmi. For Bengalis, in contrast, the main emphasis during Diwali is on the worship of Ma Kali. Kali is the fierce form of Durga, or Shakti. Ma Durga is worshipped during “Durga Puja” (which Bengalis refer to simply as “pujo”) which happens just a few weeks before Diwali.

Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, and Kali epitomizes that battle between the forces of creation and the forces of destruction. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali for more.) I find it particularly interesting that Diwali is associated both with Kali and with Lakshmi. Both are manifestations of Shakti, the primary power motivating the universe. Working hard to create wealth is the worship of Lakshmi. Fighting evil and defeating it is the worship of Kali.

I believe that Indians by and large have neglected what Diwali means. We have to confront evil and destroy it because otherwise we will not have the opportunity to create wealth. We have to worship Kali and Lakshmi.

Happy Diwali and a happy new year!

Vakratunda Mahakaaya
Suryakoti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva
Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada

Lord with the curved trunk and a mighty body,
Who has the magnificance of a Million suns,
I pray to you Oh Lord, to remove the obstacles
From all the actions I intend to perform.

Links:

Ganesh Chaturthi post from 2010.

Rajan Parrikar’s image of the Remover of Obstacles. Also see the post with links to lots of Rajan’s pictures of the scribe of the Mahabharat.

Wishing you all a Happy Bengali New Year!!

I am visiting Irvine, CA, for a couple of days. Drove down from SF Bay area, part of the way on highway 1. The Pacific coast if fabulous. Then had to double back because 1 was closed a little south of Monterey. Then took 101 South, followed by I-405. Ended up driving for nearly 10 hours.

I will post pictures in a bit.

Picture resized from The Big Picture feature on Holi of 2010. Like all their photo features, this one is good. Go see them.

Greetings from New Delhi on Basant Panchami. It is also the day for Saraswati Puja. And for the worship of Kamadeva, who is also known as “Atanu” !! You all may bow in reverence to me

Basant Panchami is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship (Pitr-tarpan) is performed; the god of love Kamadeva is worshipped; and most educational institutions organise special prayer for Saraswati. The color yellow also plays an important role in this festival, in that people usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshipped dressed in yellow, and yellow sweets are consumed within the families. Children love flying kites . They enjoy the festival with great fun and enthusiasm.

Have fun.

Bhairavi is a fierce and terrifying aspect of the Goddess virtually indistinguishable from Kali, except for her particular identification as the consort of the Bhairava.

. . . Bhairavi is seen mainly as the Mahakali in the Durga Saptashathi version of slaying Shumbha and Nishumbha.

Shiv is Bhairav. The Vigyan Bhairav Tantra is a dialog between Bhairav and Bhairavi. She asks the questions and Bhairav answers laying out 112 meditation techniques. Rajneesh aka Osho has an extensive commentary explaining what it all means. Here’s the wiki enty:

Vigyan bhairav tantra is an ancient treatise containing 112 techniques of meditation. If translated in English this is what it means: Vigyan = science; Bhairav = another name of the Hindu god Shiva; Tantra = technique.

The 112 techniques of meditation have been presented in the treatise in the form of seeds or formulas whose meaning if known can direct the practitioner towards a particular meditation method or technique. It begins with a conversation between Shiva and his consort Parvati in which Parvati asks of Shiva:

O Shiva, what is your reality?
What is this wonder-filled universe?
What constitutes seed?
Who centers the universal wheel?
What is this life beyond form pervading forms?
How may we enter it fully,
above space and time,
names and descriptions?
Let my doubts be cleared!

Instead of giving her a direct reply, Shiva tells her about meditation techniques which will lead her to the experiences – experiences that will be the reply to her questions. The most detailed commentary on recent times on Vigyan bhairav tantra has been by Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) which was published as the Book of Secrets.

Here is a nice offering to Devi Durga, or Shakti, Narayani, Gauri, Mahakali, etc.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi everyone.

{Previous years’ posts on Sri Ganesh here.}

I always wake up around 4 AM on Buddha Purnima — perhaps because of the bright moonlight streaming in through the window. And now I am listening to the Perfection of Wisdom Heart Sutra aka “Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra“.

Happy New Year!

Holi ki Shubhkamanaye Aap Sabhko

I wish you all a colorful time with family and friends on Holi.

Diwali, or Deepavali, is the festival of lights. It is also the festival of wealth. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth is worshiped on Diwali. Among Bengalis, Mother Kali is worshiped during Diwali. The tradition is attributed to a number of occasions.

There are many stories. One of them goes this way. Two days before Diwali, is Dhanteras. “Dhan” is wealth and “teras” means thirteen. They worship Yama, the god of death. Dhanteras could also be due to another event: the churning of the oceans by the devas and ashuras.

See the entry on Samudra Manthan in wiki. Here’s an excerpt:

The story of Samudra Manthan

Once Indra, the King of Devatas, while riding on an elephant came across a sage named Durvasa who offered him a special garland. Indra accepted the garland but put in on the trunk of the elephant. The elephant was irritated by the smell and it threw the garland on the floor. This enraged the sage as the garland was a dwelling of Sri (fortune) and was to be treated as prasada.

Durvasa Muni cursed Indra and all devas to be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune.

In battles that followed this incident, Devas were defeated and Asuras (demons) led by king Bali, gained control of the universe. Devas sought help from Lord Vishnu who advised them to treat asuras in a diplomatic manner. Devas formed an alliance with asuras to jointly churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality and to share it among them. However, Lord Vishnu told Devas that he would arrange that they alone obtain the nectar.

Churning the Milky Ocean

The churning of the Ocean of Milk was an elaborate process. Mount Mandaranchal was used as the dasher (churning tool), and Vasuki, the king of serpents, became the churning rope. The gods held the tail of the snake, while the demons (Asuras) held its head, and they pulled on it alternately causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean. However, once the mountain was placed on the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu in his second incarnation, in the form of a turtle Kurma, came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his back.

Halahal (Also called ‘kalakuta’)

During the Samudra Mathan by the gods and demons, a pot of poison, Halahala, also came out of the ocean. This terrified the gods and demons because the poison was so toxic that it might have destroyed all of creation. On the advice of Vishnu, gods approached Shiva for help and protection. Out of compassion for living beings, Shiva drank the poison. It was so potent that it changed the color of Shiva’s neck to blue. For this reason, he is also called Neelakantha (the blue-necked one, nīla = “blue”, kantha = “throat”).

The nectar of immortality

Finally, Dhanvantari, the heavenly physician, emerged with a pot containing amrita, the heavenly nectar of immortality. Fierce fighting ensued between devas and asuras for the nectar. To protect the nectar from asuras, devas hid the pot of nectar at four places on the earth – Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. At each of these places, a drop of the nectar spilled from the pot and it is believed that these places acquired mystical power. A Kumbh Mela is celebrated at the four places every twelve years for this reason.

However, the Asuras eventually got hold of the nectar and started celebrating. Frightened, devas (demigods) appealed to Vishnu, who then took the form of Mohini. As a beautiful and enchanting damsel, Mohini distracted the asuras, took the amrita, and distributed it among the Adityas, who drank it. One asura, Rahu, disguised himself as a deva and drank some nectar. Due to their luminous nature, the sun god Surya and the moon god Chandra noticed the switching of sides. They informed Mohini. But before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head with her divine discus, the Sudarshana Chakra. The head, due to its contact with the amrita, remained immortal. To gain revenge on the sun and moon for exposing this, the immortal head occasionally swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. Then, the sun or moon passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse.

The story ends with the rejuvenated Adityas defeating the asuras.

They knew how to spin a great tale.

The picture above is one that I took in Mumbai. I was there on Thursday, which happened to be the sixth day (“Soshti” in Bengali) of the puja. I went to the puja in Kalyani Nagar in Pune on the eight day (“Oshtumi”) for pushpanjali. I went with Farial, Dipankar and their sons Aabir and Ayan. (See the pictures of the Mumbai pandal and Pune pandal.)

Here’s a bit from the wikipedia entry on “Durga Puja“:

The worship of Durga in the autumn (শরৎ Shôrot) is the year’s largest Hindu festival of Bengal. Durga Puja is also celebrated in Nepal and Bhutan according to local traditions and variations. Puja means “worship,” and Durga’s Puja is celebrated from the sixth to tenth day of the waxing moon in the month of Ashwin (Bengali: আশ্বিন Ashshin), which is the sixth month in the Bengali calendar. Occasionally however, due to shifts in the lunar cycle relative to the solar months, it may also be held in the following month, Kartika (Bengali: কার্তিক Kartik). In the Gregorian calendar, these dates correspond to the months of September and October.

In the Krittibas Ramayana, Rama invokes the goddess Durga in his battle against Ravana. Although she was traditionally worshipped in the spring, due to contingencies of battle, Rama had to invoke her in the autumn akaal bodhan. Today it is this Rama’s date for the puja that has gained ascendancy, although the spring puja, known as Basanti Puja [One of the oldest 'sabeki' Basanti Puja is held every year at spring in Barddhaman Pal Bari], is also present in the Hindu almanac. Since the season of the puja is Bengali: শরৎ Shôrot, autumn, it is also known as Bengali: শরদিয়া Shôrodia.

The pujas are held over a ten-day period, which is traditionally viewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, to her father, Himalaya’s home. It is the most important festival in Bengal, and Bengalis celebrate with new clothes and other gifts, which are worn on the evenings when the family goes out to see the ‘pandals’ (temporary structures set up to venerate the goddess). Although it is a Hindu festival, religion takes a back seat on these five days: Durga Puja in Bengal is a carnival, where people from all backgrounds, regardless of their religious beliefs, participate and enjoy themselves to the hilt.

A small nit pick with the quoted text above. I was told that Durga comes to her maternal home during this puja. That sounds much better than saying that she’s visiting her father’s home, even though in effect they amount to the same thing.

Have a great Bijoya.

[Previous posts on Bijoya: 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005.]

May Vigneshwara (the remover of obstacles), Ekadanta (the One with the one Tusk), Mahakaya (One with the Huge Body), etc., remove the obstacles to your ventures. I am sure that he will remove the writer’s block that I have. I have made the appropriate invocations to him. Here’s a wonderful prayer to Nadapratithishta, the One who Appreciates and Loves Music.

Below the fold you will find another pretty good song to Ganapati and a list of his 108 names.

108 names of Ganesha

Akhuratha One who has Mouse as his Chariot/Vehicle

Alampata Ever Eternal Lord

Amit Incomparable Lord

Anantachidrupamayam Infinite and Consciousness Personified

Avaneesh Lord of the whole World

Avighna Remover of Obstacles

Balaganapati Beloved and Lovable Child

Bhalchandra Moon-Crested Lord

Bheema Huge and Gigantic

Bhupati Lord of the Gods

Bhuvanpati God of the Gods

Buddhinath God of Wisdom

Buddhipriya Knowledge Bestower

Buddhividhata God of Knowledge

Chaturbhuj One who has Four Arms

Devadeva Lord of All Lords

Devantakanashakarin Destroyer of Evils and Asuras

Devavrata One who accepts all Penances

Devendrashika Protector of All Gods

Dharmik One who gives Charity

Dhoomravarna Smoke-Hued Lord

Durja Invincible Lord

Dvaimatura One who has two Mothers

Ekaakshara He of the Single Syllable

Ekadanta Single-Tusked Lord

Ekadrishta Single-Tusked Lord

Eshanputra Lord Shiva’s Son

Gadadhara One who has The Mace as His Weapon

Gajakarna One who has Eyes like an Elephant

Gajanana Elephant-Faced Lord

Gajananeti Elephant-Faced Lord

Gajavakra Trunk of The Elephant

Gajavaktra One who has Mouth like an Elephant

Ganadhakshya Lord of All Ganas

Ganadhyakshina Leader of All The Celestial Bodies

Ganapati Lord of All Ganas

Gaurisuta The Son of Gauri

Gunina One who is The Master of All Virtues

Haridra One who is Golden Colored

Heramba Mother’s Beloved Son

Kapila Yellowish-Brown Colored

Kaveesha Master of Poets

Kirti Lord of Music

Kripalu Merciful Lord

Krishapingaksha Yellowish-Brown Eyed

Kshamakaram The Place of Forgiveness

Kshipra One who is easy to Appease

Lambakarna Large-Eared Lord

Lambodara The Huge Bellied Lord

Mahabala Enormously Strong Lord

Mahaganapati Omnipotent and Supreme Lord

Maheshwaram Lord of The Universe

Mangalamurti All Auspicious Lord

Manomay Winner of Hearts

Mrityuanjaya Conqueror of Death

Mundakarama Abode of Happiness

Muktidaya Bestower of Eternal Bliss

Musikvahana One who has Mouse as His Charioteer

Nadapratithishta One who Appreciates and Loves Music

Namasthetu Vanquisher of All Evils and Vices and Sins

Nandana Lord Shiva’s Son

Nideeshwaram Giver of Wealth and Treasures

Omkara One who has the Form Of OM

Pitambara One who has Yellow Colored Body

Pramoda Lord of All Abodes

Prathameshwara First Among All

Purush The Omnipotent Personality

Rakta One who has Red Colored Body

Rudrapriya Beloved Of Lord Shiva

Sarvadevatman Acceptor of All Celestial Offerings

Sarvasiddhanta Bestower of Skills and Wisdom

Sarvatman Protector of The Universe

Shambhavi The Son of Parvati

Shashivarnam One who has a Moon like Complexion

Shoorpakarna Large-Eared Lord

Shuban All Auspicious Lord

Shubhagunakanan One who is The Master of All Virtues

Shweta One who is as Pure as the White Color

Siddhidhata Bestower of Success and Accomplishments

Siddhipriya Bestower of Wishes and Boons

Siddhivinayaka Bestower of Success

Skandapurvaja Elder Brother of Skanda

Sumukha Auspicious Face

Sureshwaram Lord of All Lords

Swaroop Lover of Beauty

Tarun Ageless

Uddanda Nemesis of Evils and Vices

Umaputra The Son of Goddess Uma

Vakratunda Curved Trunk Lord

Varaganapati Bestower of Boons

Varaprada Granter of Wishes and Boons

Varadavinayaka Bestower of Success

Veeraganapati Heroic Lord

Vidyavaridhi God of Wisdom

Vighnahara Remover of Obstacles

Vignaharta Demolisher of Obstacles

Vighnaraja Lord of All Hindrances

Vighnarajendra Lord of All Obstacles

Vighnavinashanaya Destroyer of All Obstacles and Impediments

Vigneshwara Lord of All Obstacles

Vikat Huge and Gigantic

Vinayaka Lord of All

Vishwamukha Master of The Universe

Vishwaraja King of The World

Yagnakaya Acceptor of All Sacred and Sacrificial Offerings

Yashaskaram Bestower of Fame and Fortune

Yashvasin Beloved and Ever Popular Lord

Happy Diwali, Happy Deepavali, Happy Lakshmi Puja, Happy Kali Puja, and Happy Bhai Duj.

Since Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Diwali is really what the stock market needs.

Here are stories about Bhai Duj (or Bhai Dooj) below the fold. And below that, the details of the Five Days of Diwali.

The fifth day of Deepavali or Diwali is celebrated as Bhaiya Dooj, popularly know as Bhai Dooj. The name itself denotes the day of the festival i.e it falls on Dooj, the second day after the new moon. This day Yamaraj went to his sister’s house who put an auspicious mark on his forehead for his welfare. Thus, on this day sisters perform puja for their brothers safety and well being. Brothers in return give gifts to their sisters as a token of love.

Another version is after killing Narakasur, Lord Krishna, went to his sister Subhadra who welcomed him in the traditional way by showing him a light and putting on his forehead a tilak of her sisterly protection. Another myth behind this begins as when Bhagawaan Mahavir found nirvana, his brother Raja Nandivardhan was distressed because he missed him and was comforted by his sister Sudarshana. Since then, women have been revered during this festival.

The festival of Diwali is not complete without “Bhaiyya-Duj” in the Hindi-speaking belt, “Bhav–Bij” in the Marathi-speaking communities, “Bhai Phota” to the Bengalees and in Nepal by the name of “Bhai-Tika”.

Diwali is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten, families and friends meet, enjoy and establish a word of closeness. Reflecting this essence, Bhai dooj has its own importance in continuing to maintain the love between brothers and sisters for it is the day of food-sharing, gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths of the hearts.

As a festival of light and beauty it encourages artistic expressions through home-decorations stage-plays, elocution competitions singing and dancing programmes, making gift items and making delectable sweets thereby discovering new talents of younger people. As a result innumerable communities with varying cultures and customs mingle together to make Bhai Dooj celebrations a very happy occasion for all. [From Diwalifestival.org]

The Five Days of Diwali:

Five Days Of Diwali

Deewali is a festival of joy, splendor, brightness and happiness. It is the festival of lights and is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all Indians all over the world. The uniqueness of this festival is its harmony of five varied philosophies, with each day to a special thought or ideal. People celebrate each of its five days of festivities with true understanding, it will uplift and enrich the lives.

The first day of Diwali: Dhanteras

The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras. It is in fact the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksh, the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik. On this day, Lord Dhanwantari came out of the ocean with Ayurvedic for mankind. This day marks the beginning of Deepawali celebrations.

On this day at sunset, Hindus should bathe and offer a lighted deeya with Prasad (sweets offered at worship time) to Yama Raj, the Lord of Death and pray for protection from untimely death. This offering should be made near a Tulsi tree, the Holy Basil or any other sacred tree that one might have in their yard.

The second day of Diwali: Choti Diwali

The second day of Diwali is called Narak Chaturdasi. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear.

The third day of Diwali: Lakshmi Puja on Diwali

This is the day when worship unto Mother Lakshmi is performed. Hindus cleanse themselves and join with their families and their Pandit (priest) and they worship the divine Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and prosperity, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.

The fourth day of Diwali: Padwa & Govardhan Puja

On this day, Govardhan Pooja is performed. Many thousands of years ago, Lord Krishna caused the people of Vraja to perform Govardhan Pooja. From then on, every year Hindus worship Govardhan to honour that first Pooja done by the people of Vraja.

The fifth day of Diwali: Bhai Duj

The fifth day of the Diwali is called Bhratri Dooj. This is the day after Goverdhan Pooja is performed and normally two days after Diwali day. It is a day dedicated to sisters. Many moons ago, in the Vedic era, Yama (Yamraj, the Lord of death) visited his sister Yamuna on this day. He gave his sister a Vardhan (a boon) that whosoever visits her on this day shall be liberated from all sins. They will achieve Moksha or final emancipation. From then on, brothers visit their sisters on this day to enquire of their welfare.

This day marks the end of the five days of Diwali celebrations. This is also known as Bhai fota among Bengalis. Bhai fota is an event especially among Bengalis when the sister prays for her brother’s safety, success and well being.

This morning I went to say farewell to Devi Durga at the Durgamahotsav close to where I live. I took the picture of the protima above. The traditional belief among Bengalis is that Ma Durga along with her children — Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartik — comes to visit her parental home for 10 days. Today is the 10th day, Vijay Dashmi, when she goes back to her in-laws. People then visit each other and wish “Shubho Bijoya” after she leaves.

Durga will be back next year, of course. But Durga is just one manifestation of Shakti, the consort of Shiva. Shakti will be back as “Ma Kali” in about three weeks. Kali puja occurs during Diwali. Diwali is not a big deal for Bengalis but Kali puja is.

So here’s wishing you all a Shubho Bijoya.

[Previous posts on Bijoya: 2007, 2006, 2005.]

{Image above stolen from some website.}

Here’s what happened. It took about 2:30 hours to get from Mumbai to the outskirts of Pune (around 150 kms) and then it took 4 hours — I kid you not — to travel the last 24 kms to my place! What happened was that there was an amazing rain storm around 5 PM in Pune which dumped gazillion amounts of water onto the Pune streets which resulted in flooding. Traffic was backed up for miles. It was a disaster.

Ganesh, as the remover of obstacles should be fired if this is what removing obstacles amounts to. Saying that his performance is below par does not even come close to it. Anyway, I am not one to hold grudges. All is forgiven. Mr Ganesh can have a nice visit but I would be very careful to do the job of removing obstacles properly the next time if I were him. It’s a matter of reputation, you know. Once your reputation is shot, it is very difficult to recover.

OK, here’s one picture of Ganesh dancing to some cool tune. Enjoy.

Have a happy Ganesh Utsav.

Previous Ganesh posts: Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 2007, and 2006.

Deepavali Greetings! May Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, be a welcome visitor to your home and workplace.

[The Wordpress software is putting a "Japonophile" watermark on the pictures. I will have to figure out how to disable that one.]

Durga Puja Greetings

For Bengalis, this is the biggest festival of the year. Today, the last day of the five-day event, is called “Bijoya Dashimi.” Mother Durga, who had come with her children (Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesh, and Kartik) to visit her parents, departs today. For five days her idols had been worshiped and today the idols will be given back to the earth from which they were made.

The origins of this festival are varied. Here’s one. The story goes that there was this guy called Mahishashur who because of his great devotion to Shiva, was granted a boon by Shiva that he could never be killed by any man or god. Shiva does crazy stuff like that. So Mahishashur became a bit of a nuisance, tormenting the gods etc. So then the gods in desperation presented their case to the supreme three — Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Yes Shiva, the same guy who gave Mahishashur the power in the first place, is part of the trinity. The three agreed that something had to be done. So the invoked Shakti. Shakti is the ultimate power that underlies the whole of creation. It is also the female principle; Shiva is the male principle. Thus came Goddess Durga the fierce incarnation or avatar of Shakti and she confronted Mahishashur and defeated him. Durga is also referred to as “Mahishashur-mardini,” the slayer of Mahishashur. In Bengali iconography, Durga is depicted with ten arms, each holding a specialized instrument, riding a lion and piercing the heart of the demon Mahishashur with her lance. It is the same old story of good defeating evil.

Happy Bijoy Dashimi to all visitors of this blog.

[See last year's entry: Puja.]

That image is from a site in Roundwood, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The caption to it says: “When Hindu Lord Ganesh came to Ireland he decided to go native, as indeed, he had done when he went to China and Japan. He is accompanied by his servant, the rat, the latter playing the bodran and enjoying a pint of Guinness. The sculpture is 6′4″ high and weighs approx. 4 tonnes.”

Have a pint and enjoy Ganesh Chaturthi. More images from the site below the fold.

Ganesh the bookworm. He is the god of learning and wisdom. Naturally he likes to read books.

Here’s the dude playing the tablas.

He’s versatile. Now he is on the veena.

Now only in this last image do I see his mount, the rat, relaxing in a laid back attitude. In all the others, the rat is absent. Anyway, that’s it for Mr Vinayaka. All images stolen from here. Also check out last year’s entry on Ganesh Chaturthi.

Today is the first of the five days of Puja, the worship of the goddess Bengalis call Ma Durga. Oct 2nd is Vijaya Dashami, the day the Puja (worship) ends. As children, we are told that Durga comes with her children (Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, and Ganesh) to visit her parents. Another story goes that Rama, in his war against Ravana, invoked Durga to help him. He was victorious and the worship of Durga is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil.

Puja for Bengalis is something special. New clothes, gifts, great food, visiting friends and family, and of course going to Puja pandals. I will probably go to the local pujas around the San Francisco Bay area.

I wish you all a wonderful Puja.

Asato ma sat gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrityur ma amritam gamaya

Lead me from illusion to the Truth
Lead me from darkness to Light
Lead me from death to Immortality

from the Brihadaranya Upanishad.

Now it is time for me to sit and listen to Raga Durga, sung by Veena Sahasrabuddhe, to mark the end of Puja.